Ravi Naik for third district with Ponda as centre

Welcoming the Chief Minister Pramod Sawant’s recent
announcement to form third district in state, former Chief Minister and Ponda
MLA Ravi Naik on Wednesday urged the government to form the third district as
early as possible with Ponda town as its centre.

Ravi Naik while addressing a press conference at Ponda
said that the third district which would include the talukas of Ponda,
Dharbandora and Sattari will help people have easy access to the
administration, speed up implementation of welfare schemes and projects, speed
up urbanisation of rural areas, will increase economic activities, boost job
creations and as a result benefit people of all three districts.

Due to third district, the state will have additional
district magistrate, deputy commissioner, district collector, superintendent of
Police and deputy collector of forest, Ravi Naik said.

“I have been voicing the demand for third district since
1993 when I was the Chief Minister and also when I was the home minister. Even
during the last assembly session, I had put up resolution, which did not come
up for discussion. But now I am happy that the state government is mulling to
form the third district,” Ravi Naik said.

He also expressed that Ponda is best suited to be the
centre of the third district as there both other talukas included in third
district are directly connected to Ponda with highways.

It should be noted that
on last Friday, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant had hinted at forming a third
district in the state including Ponda, Dharbandora and Sattari talukas during a
government function at Dharbandora.

“Dharbandora town will metamorphose into a city in the
next five years as Dharbandora taluka will come under the proposed new
district,” Sawant had said.